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7Side Urges Government to End HIPs Turmoil

JULY 2007

A Cardiff firm that has invested heavily to prepare for the introduction of the Home Information Packs (HIPs) has called on the Government to sort out the confusion surrounding the controversial scheme.

Company and property research specialist 7Side estimates that it has invested nearly £100.000 in readiness for HIPs, including the training of a team of six energy assessors and the expansion of its City Road offices.

With only eight working days to spare, the Government recently decided to postpone the introduction of the packs, which are designed to speed up the process of buying and selling homes and to give buyers and sellers vital information on energy savings and help reduce carbon emissions.

The packs which were supposed to become a legal requirement for most house sellers from June 1, will now only apply to houses with four bedrooms and above from August 1. No date has been set for the inclusion of other homes in the scheme.

One of the key reasons given for the indefinite delay is that there are not enough trained assessors available to do the energy performance surveys which are an essential part of the pack.

But, said Victor Watson, director of 7Side, “We and companies like us have invested in getting ready for June 1. We have a trained team of assessors who are anxious to get on with their new jobs and the confusion caused by this announcement is very frustrating. If not enough assessors were going through training nationally, the Government should have intervened earlier to sort that out.

“This delay will not affect our main existing business but, as an expanding Welsh company, we have identified an opportunity for growth on a UK wide basis and this uncertainty is acting as a barrier to that growth.

We are ready to go once we get the green light, but who knows when that will be? Even the August 1 start date for HIPs on bigger houses is being questioned by many people in the industry. The issue has been kicked around for years. We would expect by now there would be more certainty in the Governments HIP programme.

Profile of 7Side Ltd in Companies House Annual Return and Accounts 2004/5

Being Cardiff based we are very close to Companies House, literally, in terms of location and also translating to close communication and aligned values. We wholly embrace their ongoing and ambitious program of developments that form a pivotal driver in our own UK company information and incorporation strategy. Having taken early and full advantage of the electronic services that Companies House provide and adding our own innovative solutions has been a major positive factor in our market position.”

As pioneers of electronic company formations software, over 30% of presentors use our proprietary software, which also forms the architecture for the efficiencies that are built into our own prolific electronic company formation services.

Recognised as a leading provider of UK company documents, our Companies House Direct extranet service with multiple value added benefits, has attracted an extensive client base and positioned us as the worlds largest user of Companies House Direct and the foremost reseller of the product.

We look forward to an exciting future and the implementation of new customer focused e-services and enhancements in line with our valuable Companies House affiliate program.

CLICK HERE to download the full document.

British Small Business Champions – Regional Finalists

7side were selected as one of eight regional finalists for the British Small Business Champions Awards. The ceremony was held at the Celtic Manor Golf Club (the 2010 Ryder Cup venue) on Wednesday 1st October where Jonathan Davies, Welsh rugby legend and now BBC commentator, presented the finalists with their certificates on the night. Given that there are 140,000 small businesses in Wales (i.e. those employing less than 50 people), being nominated as a finalist is a considerable achievement in itself. The overall winner was Reynolds Geo-Sciences based in North Wales and our congratulations and best wishes go to them as they head towards the national finals.

Finally, we’d like to thank Lloyds TSB for sponsoring the event and hosting a very enjoyable evening.

The Western Mail Business Awards for Wales 2003